The P-Factor
Electoral reform is an often-discussed topic. But the issues often concern minor modifications to the status quo. Here I suggest an entirely new approach to electing leaders of a country. It would...
View ArticleHow to be a High Impact Philosopher
Philosophy is often impractical. That’s an understatement. It might therefore be surprising to think of a career as a philosopher as a potentially high impact ethical career – the sort of career that...
View ArticleGiving priority to good people
It’s an axiom of healthcare prioritisation that all persons should be treated equally. Different theories of prioritisation give different interpretations of this idea; but the basic thought is the...
View ArticleHow to be a high impact philosopher, part II
In a previous post, I discussed how, as a philosopher, one should decide on a research areas. I suggested that one method was to work out what are potentially the biggest problems the world faces,...
View ArticleThe most important unsolved problems in ethics (Or, How to be a high impact...
In 1900 the mathematician David Hilbert published a list of 23 of the most important unsolved problems in mathematics. This list heavily influenced mathematical research over the 20th century: if you...
View ArticleWall St, Charity, and Saving the World
Today I started writing for Quartz magazine, the Atlantic’s new on-line business magazine. My first article is on saving the world by funding charities rather than working for charities – a topic that...
View ArticleShould men take their wife’s last name?
When I get married in July, I’m changing my name. My fiancee and I are both taking her maternal grandmother’s name “MacAskill”, putting us in the good company of Giant MacAskill – possibly the world’s...
View ArticleDoing Well by Doing Good: Careers that benefit others also benefit you
To what extent do self-interest and altruism conflict? In my latest Quartz article, I suggest that they conflict less than you might think. Pursuing a career that makes the world a better place has a...
View ArticleWhat is Effective Altruism?
Today, Peter Singer’s TED Talk on effective altruism went live. But what is effective altruism? Most forms of do-gooding start out with a What (“I want to promote microfinance!”), move to a How (“maybe...
View ArticleDoes philanthropy propagate an unjust system?
A week ago, Peter Buffett—the son of business magnate Warren Buffett—published an op-ed in The New York Times on what he called “the charitable-industrial complex.” His central thesis was that...
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